Deadline: 31-Dec-2025
The Swedish Arts Council is requesting applications for its Grants for Translation of Swedish Literature and Drama to promote translation of Swedish literature into other, non-Nordic, languages.
In order to apply for this grant you must be a professional publisher who wants to publish a Swedish book translated into a non-Nordic language. (A separate grant is available for Nordic publishers). You must have a plan for a professional distribution of the translation in question. Any publishing house applying for this grant must have both well-documented experience of publishing quality literature as well as professional distribution channels. Neither translators nor authors may apply for translation- or production subsidies through this support scheme.
The grant covers either translation costs or both translation- and some production costs for translated editions of Swedish works. Swedish works includes literature written in Swedish or any of the national minority languages in Sweden, and originally published in Sweden.
A condition for the grant is that the translation is done directly from Swedish or any of the national minority languages and not via any third language. Exceptions may be granted for languages where there are no professional translators directly from Swedish or the national minority languages. This requires a written approval from the rights holder that clearly states which edition shall be used for the translation.
The grant applies to translation of prose fiction, poetry, picture books, comics and graphic novels for adults, children and young adults, non-fiction in the area of general culture, essays, and drama for publication in book form. The support scheme does not apply to translation of specialised scholarly works, reference books, study materials, textbooks, Festschrifts, homage volumes, publishing of sheet music, yearbooks, books of local interest, exhibition catalogues, hobby books, craft books, handbooks, cookbooks, and travel guides.
Irrespective of genre, the work for which a subsidy is being applied must be of high literary quality. The grant is meant to support translation of contemporary works, but support could also be given to classics. Priority will be given to introduction of the work of contemporary Swedish authors into languages where there are no or few previous translations of that author’s work or other Swedish literature.
The sum you apply for should correspond to the fee you have agreed to in the signed translation contract with the translator. This full fee needs to be paid to the translator, regardless of the amount that the Swedish Arts Council has granted. The translator needs to confirm having received the full amount before a reimbursement of the grant can take place.
Grants may be requested for translation costs and/or production costs. A maximum sum of SEK 20,000 can be granted as production support. Grants for production costs may be awarded for four-colour illustrated books or for books that are considered to be particularly costly to publish in translation for other reasons, such as the production costs of poetry, comics and graphic novels. The grant cannot cover copyright costs.
Applications are open all year round, but submitted applications are evaluated three times a year. Your application must be sent in before the book has been printed and published. The book cannot be printed before the results of the application have been sent out, so do remember to apply in time.
All the applications received during each application period are evaluated at the same time by an external expert committee. The committee assesses the literary quality of each work, i.e. the narrative structure of the work, its linguistic and artistic expression, as well as the text’s ability to, regardless of genre, engage the reader.
Your application is submitted online, via their online service. Only one work per application is accepted. You may submit more than one application per round. The application must include the following material: a scanned copy of the signed contract between the publishing house filing the application and the rights holder, a scanned copy of the signed contract between the publishing house filing the application and the translator, a pdf/word file or e-book of the original book. For applications regarding anthologies – scanned copies of the complete included material must be enclosed. The translator’s list of his/her translations from Swedish.
Please send a PDF of the whole book, photographs that testify that the book exists as a printed edition, including a photograph of the colophon page, and a confirmation from the translator that he/she has been paid the full payment according to the signed translator contract and the sum that was stated in the application. Either the applicant or the translator sends a copy of the Translator confirmation form. Natural persons cannot apply for the grant. Application closes on 31 December 2025.
For more information, visit Swedish Arts Council.